Join us on Wednesday, April 12, 2023, for a rare opportunity to hear the internationally acclaimed gardener and speaker, Fergus Garrett, discuss the world-class, inspiring, and daring gardens at Great Dixter in Northiam, England.
Great Dixter was the home of artistic gardener and prolific writer, Christopher “Christo” Hamilton Lloyd (1921-2006), who developed the site into a hub of ideas and connections that spread out across the world. Great Dixter was the focus of Lloyd’s energy and enthusiasm from childhood until his death and inspired almost fifty years of witty, knowledgeable writing.
Christopher Lloyd was one of the most celebrated gardeners in the world, informing and inspiring a generation of gardeners. Fortunately, in 2003, he had the foresight to set up the Great Dixter Charitable Trust, which has directed the management of the estate since his death in 2006.
Now under the stewardship of the Trust and Christopher Lloyd’s friend, head gardener, and CEO, Fergus Garrett, Great Dixter is a historic house, gardens, a center for education, and a place of pilgrimage for horticulturists from across the world. The Friends of Great Dixter helps the Trust keep this remarkable place open to the public, develop educational programs for all age groups, and make more people aware of the richness and significance of the biodiversity of Great Dixter’s gardens, meadows, and woodland.
Considered one of the world's most influential gardeners and horticultural educators, Fergus Garrett is propelling Great Dixter forward as one of the world’s most iconic gardens. Raised in the United Kingdom and Turkey, he studied horticulture at Wye College, graduating in 1989. From the creative working relationship with Christopher Lloyd that began in 1992, Garrett learned to keep the gardens of Great Dixter constantly changing throughout the seasons and to be adventurous in trying out new plants and plant combinations.
In his Garden Design article, “The Great Great Dixter,” Noel Kingsbury shares that the transition from Lloyd to Garrett in the management of these gardens appears almost seamless with the site welcoming and inspiring over 50,000 visitors annually. Kingsbury describes this unique place as “a high-energy garden. Its visual impact depends on achieving strong contrasts, of sparking color against color and shape against shape. Much of the pleasure of walking around the gardens is the chance to appreciate plant combinations.”
About the Speaker
Fergus Garrett is enthusiastic about ecology and how ornamental gardens and biodiversity interact. Great Dixter proves gardens can be abundant in plants, plant combinations, remarkable color, and inspiring ideas, but also rich in biodiversity. As a hands-on gardener and plantsman, Garrett is interested in working practices and passing on knowledge through the national and international student and volunteer programs at Great Dixter as well as the many talks he gives worldwide each year.
Learn more about Fergus Garrett, Christopher Lloyd, and Great Dixter House and Gardens: https://www.greatdixter.co.uk/
This special event is supported by the Ashley Wright McIntyre Education and Programming Endowment Fund.
